WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Thursday Lunch: God Slaps

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

This week, Jillian and Bella would like to welcome you to their table for yet another Thursday Lunch, a bit more serious this time! This episode takes on a bit of a different vibe as they discuss some awesome moments from an awesome God. So sit back and (hopefully) be reminded of God’s love, and how he often shows it! PS. If you are a frequent listener, you may notice that you are particularly parched at the end of this episode, as no drinks were included in our meals. This is because, as often is the case with this things, Jillian and Bella can, (and will), talk forever, and as much of their conversation about God and all his glory has already had to be cut due to our twenty-minute restriction, an executive decision was made to cut out the drink and song portion instead of cut down more of the testimonies. They apologize, and hope you still enjoy! If you are really curious, thanks for caring, and here they are: Jillian: “I Wanna Go Back” – The Notebook the Musical (English breakfast tea)Bella: “As Long as You Follow” – Fleetwood Mac (Brown sugar shaken espresso from Penny’s)

I'm Bella. You're listening to Thursday lunch, where we only have one question. You want to sit with us? Okay. Sorry, guys. We prank to you. Our real voices are back. And this is actually us, though, and not little elves.

Kebler elves who took over our show. That's exactly what I was looking. I love the Keebler elves. We're actually talking about something really serious. Yeah, so if you guys could stop laughing, please. My story is not funny in the slightest. It's just goaded. My first one is really definitely not funny, but it's good.

And my second one's, like, just beautiful. Oh. you won't laugh at mine you'll be like well that's so cool because life is cool oh that's cool like mine aren't cool enough loki but i'm mad because i had a really good one that when we talked about doing this episode i remembered and i can't remember now so it must not been that good but must not been super good okay so today i actually only have one story today but it's loki long and john so what's that even mean to be clear we're doing testimonies today oh i should have said that we're talking about moments i okay i have a different word for them

I've always called them God slaps. Yeah, yeah. Times where not in like a painful way, but where God just like slaps you in the face with like, wow, I'm here and I'm cool. And you're like, ah, that's kind of undeniable. Yeah, mine takes a turn at the end, get ready for the big twist ending.

Well, because Jillian's is so long, she's only going to do one and I'm going to do two. I'm going to start. She's going to go. I'm going to go. So be ready. And you're going to eat up this lunch. Oh, we're going to eat up this lunch.

Do you have foods for yours? Because I have foods for mine. I didn't think about it, but like, the first one? think about it. I'll figure it out. I actually know exactly what the first one is because it involves food. It also involves me as a child.

So yes, this is a, do I completely remember this happening? No. But it is a really cool and awesome moment. And it's also, sorry to any of the Protestants, it kind of has something to do with the same. So if you're freaked out by that. Turn it off. Pause it.

Are you serious? Okay, so we figured out. We got in a big fight. We got in a big fight. Bella has a black eye right now. Yeah, and it hurts. I'm going to have to put a big steak on it. A Catholic steak?

Catholic steak. Wait, you can't have that tomorrow, though. Oh, when did you call me? Not her knowing the rules. I know if you eat that, you go to hell. Wait, don't say it's put to that on the radio. Oh, ew, the Keebler Alfa's back. He's back, he's back.

Can you just be normal for literally four seconds? So this involves something tragic, and it is called at this point I was my parents' only child, So they probably, that made this a little bit scarier because they know backups, you know? So what happened is when I was about three years old, we were living on this place called Sanibel Island. Love it, except there's this thing called Hurricane Charlie, really bad. It was not good for the whole world of an island, if you could only imagine. So, but we escaped before that even happened. This actually takes place in the aftermath, okay?

So we escaped for Hurricane Charlie. We come back, the island, how is it still there? I don't really understand how that works. Not really sure. But now there are actually two theories. This will be a little bit of comedic relief. There are two theories as to how this happened to me. Long story short, I got salmonella.

But the theories are that either I ate dirt that had duck poop in it at the hotel we stayed at. Is that your meal for this story? Oh, no, that is not my meal. But the actual thing that we think actually happened is because we ate at this restaurant when we got back to Sanabelle. and they gave me bad chicken. Bad chicken nugget. So is bad chicken nugget your food for this episode? I wanted to say that, but like the story is good.

So it's good chicken nugget. It's redeemed. It's the best chicken nugget you've ever had. It's a redeemed chicken nugget. So pretty much we go to this restaurant and I start to die in the next couple days. Wow. I get really, really bad salmonella to the point that obviously my parents are. take me to the hospital and they're like, we should make her comfortable.

Oh no. Like they're like, I was just so sick. Like I was like a zombie pretty much just laying there. And like I was a tiny baby. Like I was three. And so my parents tell this story where they were just like sitting in the hallway. They like left me in the room, I think. And they were just begging God that I would not die.

Because the doctor had been like, we don't know. I mean, she's not getting better, you know? And then I was just like, basically, like, just unconscious. Like, I was gray. I just wasn't there. And so my parents, they just, like, prayed literally all night. And I don't know how, I think it's because we had this priest friend who was friends with my dad, like, since, like, before my parents got married, was in our lives until he died. I think he had some sort of connection to Padre Pio, but my parents asked Padre Pio to intercede.

and keep me alive. And so I think it was like a couple more days, maybe a week, and I was just getting worse and worse. But something miraculous happened. The morning of September 23rd, it must have been 2006, question mark. No. I woke up, like out of my coma. I don't really know what was happening to me.

And I was like, I'm hungry. Like, I just want to play. And it was Padre Pio's Feastay. Oh, my gosh. And, like, my parents, they were obviously shocked. So, like, they woke up in the morning. It was Padre Pius Feast Day. And I was like, I just want to play.

Like, I don't know what's up to you guys. I was healed. Like, you were healed. I was okay. I got better. Isn't that amazing? It's really amazing. To this day, he's like, he is the saint of our house, kind of.

Just because, like, my dad's always like, he saved you. Like, he went to Jesus and he saved you. Oh. Isn't that beautiful and amazing? And so, that's my story. It sounds like God's in my life, though. He saved your life and you're the best chicken ice you ever have. Exactly.

Actually, the cool part about this is that my dad went back to the restaurant and he didn't do anything legally, but he like talked to the manager. He was like, you almost killed her. Oh my gosh. You did this to my daughter. Oh, my gosh. Sorry, because they were cutting corners and giving people chicken that wasn't refrigerated. That's insane. So anyways, that's my story.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Okay, my story is also a thank you Jesus. But it's kind of long. So buckle up. I'm buckled. The meal that I'm choosing is imagine three bowls connected to each other. Okay.

You like how they have like plates that have three bowls. Yes, I do. And like there's little dips or something. So the first one is peach rings. Oh, wait. Because I love peat rings. Next one is a big bowl of feta. Because those are like probably my two favorite foods.

Feta cheese and peach drinks. Third one, empty. Oh. That's very interesting. Zilch in there. Get ready for this story. Okay, I'm ready. Okay.

So back in the day, I did community theater. And I was friends with. all the girls who were pretty much getting leads all the time. I was pretty consistently getting some sort of like advanced dancing ensemble supporting role. And as a kid, as a as a tween slash teen, I was sad about this. I was consistently disappointed. I remember like castless after castles probably three in a row just not getting anything that I was excited or happy about and being just really defeated about it and being really sad and kind of asking God. I mean, like, like why how come I never get anything how come all my friends are being told that they're talented

and great and I'm being told I'm almost as good which as a as a girl who's in going through puberty and like young teens it's just a recipe for low-key disaster and so I audition for a production of laymise and I'm really excited about it I audition for the role of madam ternardier do you know who madame ternardier is Bella no madame ternardier is the innkeeper's wife she's like the one comedian relief role in the whole show. And she like sings all these little belty songs and she's a really fun character and I wanted her. And so I got a callback for her. Did the callback and felt really bad. I just felt really sad about it. And I was like, I cannot believe I'm about to go through a whole other cast list

where I'm at the bottom again or at least somewhere in the middle. It's just kind of a terrible thing. I wouldn't wish cast list anxiety on my worst nightmare. Worst nightmare. On my worst enemy. Thank you. What's wrong with me? Anyway, that kind of makes sense. So I remember the night before the cast list came out, we went to go see that I'm pretty sure it was a live action production of production, live action movie version of Winnie the Pooh, the one it's called Christopher Robin. I think that was the movie. It might have been a different movie, but I know we went to go see a movie. And I remember thinking and being like, okay, God, show me that I'm going to get this part. Show me that I'm going to get the part if I'm meant to get the part. And if I'm not, obviously don't do anything. And as we're walking to the movie theater, we're like getting dinner before.

we're walking around this place called Market Street, and I find 13 cents on the ground. I'm like, oh, it's not my lucky number, but 13 cents is fun. And here's where I'll explain the significance of finding coins in my family. My dad is a big coin collector. I know this about you. My dad, when we go places, he finds, like, loose change on the ground. And when we were in high school, he started doing this thing where he would put the coins in these little envelopes and he'd write like the date on them and then the vent.

And then he'd put it in our rooms. He'd staple the little pouch shut. I have a bunch of those. And those are really fun. And growing up, we had a big jar of coins in my house that was just full of coins that he had found. And I remember I asked him when we were moving before we moved to Texas. Like, why do you have that big jar? What are you going to do with the big jar when we move?

And he was like, that's like, that's how I remember that God's taking, like, looking out for us, that God's taking care of us financially. Because it's not like a substantial amount of money. Yeah. It's just the fact that when he goes places, God is like, and I'm taking care of you. And it's going to be fine. So I found 13 cents. I'm like, I wonder what's the point of that.

And I start thinking it and I go, hmm. in the script Madame Ternardier's name is M M M M-E dot Ternardier And that's 13 letters And I was like wow It's kind of a funny I was like that's kind of a funny coincidence But I go through the movie and I'm like It's just a coincidence

God didn't actually say anything about that And I was like okay God it but if you're being serious Like help me find three more cents to fill on the rest of the letters And madam and I go outside and there's this bench that people are That nobody's sitting on and under the bench there's three coins in the row Three pennies underneath the bench In a row? Yeah they were in a row next to each other And I picked them up and I put my pocket

And I was like, and I still didn't believe I was going to get the part. I was like, that's crazy, but it's a coincidence. I'm like reading into it, right? So next day, woke up and I got the part. That was my first lead I ever got. And it was totally life-changing for me because it made me feel like I was actually worth something when it came to theater. It was really magical.

That's so wonderful. He put three pennies in a row. He did underneath the bench for me. And I was like, thank you, God. And I think about that all the time. And then I was last spring and kind of like below key the pits of despair, trying to figure out what I was going to do for the summer. I had applied for an internship on Mackinac Island,

and I didn't know if I was going to get it. It actually had been my second time applying. I applied the first time, and they were like, nope. I went through an interview, had the greatest interview ever left it, and I was like, man, I really think I might get this job. Nope, they got back to me, and they're like, we think you need one more year at Hillstale to bake or whatever. And so I applied again, feeling a little bit sad about it,

but I was like, I wonder if I'm going to get this internship. And I remember reminiscing on that time with the coins the first time, and I was like, okay, God, let's see if you can run it back. Let's see if we can do it again. I don't remember how many coins, which is not great. I think it might have been 24, but I would have to count the letters again in Mackina Island Town Cryer, which is the name of the paper. And I was in D.C. at this time.

And from the time that I asked God to do this miracle if it was meant to happen, to a couple days before I got the call, I did find the exact amount of sense on the ground, walking around in D.C. In Mackin, Island Town Crier. And I remember being like, no, probably not. probably not though because I'm in a city like you're bound to find a bunch of money on the ground everywhere and I like just still didn't have any faith and then I got the call and I got the internship and I was like whoa so these two things happen right and I'm looking back and I'm like I cannot believe both times you did you did not believe I didn't have the faith to believe that this is going to happen for me

so this spring I applied for an internship with the wall street journal it's called the wall street journal bartley fellowship and I was like I wonder if God would do it again I wonder if he would do it again so I asked God, I was like, if I'm going to get this internship, can you help me get 17 cents while I'm in New York and Boston and 17 cents on the way back? Because there's 17 letters in Wall Street Journal and there's 17 letters in Bartley Fellowship. And I was like 17 and 17, and that will tell me that I'm going to get this job, right? So I go to New York and I go to Boston for the week of the spring break. And as I'm walking around, I'm finding coins, I'm finding pennies on the ground,

and then I find a quarter, which kind of throws a wrenching things, right? And I'm like, okay, well, maybe it's supposed to be 34. Maybe I'm finding all 34 cents on just this trip. Yeah. I was like, okay, God, I think I'm getting the message here. We're going for 34 now, basically, what's the idea. And this time I tried to approach it with having full faith that this was something God was going to do. And as I'm walking, I have throughout the week, the night before we leave, I have 33 cents.

Oh, my gosh. And as I'm walking through the airport to sit at our gate, there's a penny right in front of me right before our gate. I find 34 cents. So I'm like, wow, this is crazy. Wall Street Journal Bartley Fellowship. All the letters, it's happening again, it's happening again. I get an email on Wednesday of this week. So yesterday, potentially, is it Thursday?

Yeah. That says we decided not to interview you. So in my head, that's why the last plate is empty, by the way, on the thing. Yeah. In my head, I'm like, did I just get tricked by God? That was my first thought was like, did I get majorly pranked? Wait, that's... Isn't that crazy?

But the thing that I'm trying to, like, learn and work through with myself is that God hasn't changed. And that the miracle changed, my perception of the miracle changed, my interpretation of how I see, like, coins on the ground is probably going to change a little bit moving forward. I'll probably be a little bitter moving forward. But the only thing that has changed is me. And I don't have an, and I didn't make it to the second stage. I made it through the first stage. And there was a semi-finalist situation. but the finalist they decided not to interview me.

And I don't know what that means. But I think the unfinished nature of it is still worth talking about. We have to find out what's going to be in that bowl later on. Well, I'm curious to find out, but I still have, I still have kind of a reluctant sort of faith that says something, there, something's going to happen. I just don't quite know what it's going to be. And it's not exactly what I thought it was going to be. I mean, it didn't work out the way that I wanted it to, obviously. But there is, I don't know, there's just a belief in me that I, I don't know, there's just a belief in me that I,

don't believe that there is a god up in heaven who's up there doing little tricks and pranks yeah exactly who's up there being like ha ha and then i'm gonna not give it to i'm gonna he's like the faith remember the faith remember how you didn't have faith and now you do just wait and now it's gonna be even more than 34 cents and let's figure out what it's gonna be yeah so um the day i found the day i got the email that said no about an hour before i've had another penny walking to the collegian office so we're at 35 and i guess i'll continue the count um and i don't know what i this is an unfinished testimony but we're gonna have to do an update. Because what if you're going to get something

that's going to be 35 letters? We're going to see. We're going to have to see. And here's the thing that's so funny when I tell people about this story. There's one of two responses. There's one of like, wow, that's so cool. And then there's one of like, well, it's probably just a coincidence. And you know what? It totally could be a coincidence. But it's not. But it's not. But it's just not. And you kind of know when it's not.

Well, because if it had been a coincidence, I could have found 34 cents by Wednesday and I just stopped looking. And then it would be like, got him. God's trapped. I found that last cent, I found that last cent right at our gate. right at our gate. And I still have faith that there's something to do with that. It just may not be exactly what I think it's going to be,

which is so classic for me to plan out. But you still have the faith. But I still have the faith because it doesn't go away because it lives in my heart. So that's my little... That's such a good story. Isn't that my silly little miracle? We don't know where it's going to be, but we know it's not going to be what I thought it was.

I've never had this happen before with the coins, thinking it was going to be one thing, and then God says it's not. But he's doing something, and that's what I have faith in. So that's my one story for this episode. That was a good one. Mine's going to look a little stupid after that. I'm ready.

I'm ready for your story. My story takes place on Valentine's Day of this year, and it actually kind of involves two beautiful things happening. Awesome. But it's Valentine's Day, you know, which, whatever. I don't have to say anything. But I started this morning, it's so weird to be like, I was just sad because it was Valentine's Day. It's not really like that.

But you know how it is. Yes. I started this morning. feeling like this sucks. And so I went and sat on my little couch outside of my little house and I was saying my little prayers

and being horrible and be like, God, this doesn't want anything going to happen to me, I guess. Like, you know, like I guess this is going to suck, whatever, you know? And I was saying my rosary and I was just like I was being the worst. And just

like you ever are you ever praying but you keep in a accepting your own prayer, be like, yeah, but you did so, so whatever. And then I'm like, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Can you just pray normal? Literally. And so I'm praying. I'm just like trying so hard to be grateful, like, you know?

But I just like, I wasn't being able to do it. And like, you know, like the tears start kind of welling in your eyes. You're just like, oh, I'm so angry right now. And I was just like, in this moment, I was just like, I just want to feel loved. Like, you know? And it wasn't, it's never, it's not like, no one loves me. It's just like, sometimes you're like, I just don't feel it. I feel a little bit of a deficit right now.

Yeah, I really don't feel it. You know what I mean? So I'm sitting there, I'm getting upset. And so I'm kind of like, I've stopped praying. I'm looking up. It's like a cloudy kind of day in the morning. And so I'm just sitting there and the sun starts to come out. And I'm like starting to feel a little better.

I'm like, you know, it's okay. I might have mentioned like a tiny bit of this story with one of the songs I actually put on one of these episodes. But the sun's, kind of starts to come out. I feel a little bit better. And just like in a split moment, I'm like, God, like just remind me you're here. Like, you know what I mean? Because it's just one of those moments it's like, it's such a deficit feeling. It's like there's nothing. Like, you know, no, it's not that nobody loves me. It's just I don't feel it right now. I don't feel it. Exactly. Why can't I feel it at all? So the sun kind of starts to come out and these two little bluebirds like fly,

like I see them in my peripheral on my, in my right eye. And they're kind of flittering around in the house and they're like chasing each other. These two bluebirds, they're gorgeous. And like, the sun is coming out. Like, I just, all of a sudden I became so in tune with like what was happening around me. You know what I mean? Like the, the, so the sun is like shining all the sudden and I'm, I can like hear the wind in the trees. And these two little bluebirds are like playing around. They're like tweeting. It's like a movie. And I'm like looking over. They're like in front of duplex over there like their long table. But they're just like playing around and I was like, okay, that was a beautiful moment. Like maybe that's what guys.

God gave me, you know what I mean? And in that moment I was just sitting there, I was like, I was, and I was thinking about the birds. I was trying to analyze it, but I was just like, you know, whatever. And then I prayed to God and I was like, I had kind of read something that said this a little bit earlier, but it was like, God, I just want to feel, I want to be pursued by you, which you always pursue me, but like, I want to be reminded that that's what matters and I want to feel it.

And like, it's so easy to be like, well, I need a relationship to do that, you know? But I was just like, I just like, I'm going to be honest. Like, I want that. I want to feel pursued. And then I kind of left it. I ended in my prayer. I was like, that was a beautiful moment. And it made me feel really good. I started my day, great.

And throughout the day, everyone showed up for me. Like, one after another, like, little things. Like, I got this email. There was, like, there was a rose for you in the union. And, like, Madison had, like, gotten, like, I don't even know where this came from. But it was, like, this little chocolate rose, and she drew this little Snoopy for me. So cute. There was, like, four different things throughout the day.

I get back to my house. I'm, like, making lunch. One of my roommate's boyfriends comes in. He's like, there was something for you on the couch and hands it to me. And it's a little bag that, like, Allie put those little chocolates and stuff in it. Oh, I loved that one. Exactly. So sweet.

And then I was in my room later on, and Jen comes in. She, like, has a rose for me. Like, everyone showed up for me that day. And I wasn't really thinking about it until, like, at the very end of the day I was sitting there. And, like, it just hit me. I was like, he pursued me. Like he showed me. All day he pursued me.

And even like during that prayer, I was like, you know, in the back of my mind, I'm like, this is so materialistic of me. Like I don't, I'm asking like, show me a sign. Like I don't. So I was trying not to do that. But at the end of the day, it just hit me that he was like, I, I always pursue you, you know? Yeah. Even when it's not like you think you want.

Yes. Like 40,000 people showed up for me that day. And like, they didn't have to at all. It was like, I wasn't expecting anything. You know what I mean? We hope you enjoyed our beautiful testimony stories, our meals, and our drinks on Radio Free Hillsdale, 101.7 FM. I'm Jillian. And I'm Bella.

Thanks for listening to Thursday lunch. Bye.